Cushion devices for chairs or other seats are typically used to provide head, neck, or back support for a user. People often place cushions on the backrest of a seat in order to give them added support and comfort as they sit in either an upright or inclined position. The angle of incline of the seat and the specific preferences or needs of the user dictate the location on the backrest of the seat at which the user desires the cushion to be placed. One problem that often arises with seat cushions is that their positioning on the backrest of the seat changes as the user moves in the chair or leans forward, allowing gravity to pull the cushion in a downward direction. A number of devices in the prior art utilize a variety of fastening arrangements that fix cushions in place by connecting them to the seat. However, these attachments make vertical and lateral adjustment of the cushion, as well as its removal from the seat, more complicated.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,387,886 shows a headrest mounted on a pair of brackets made of spring steel and forming a ‘V’ shape enclosure. The device snaps over the uppermost portion of an automobile seat. As wing nuts on the device are tightened, the resulting increased spring tension against the seat locks the headrest assembly in place.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,738,488 shows an adjustable headrest with an elongated tab with a fastener to hang the adjustable headrest from the back of a seat or to hold the headrest in a doubled-over position to function as a neck support. The device contains a “U shaped” bolster or pillow with an elongated tab containing VELCRO™ brand connection strips and is fastened to a flexible fabric panel.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,567,015 shows an inflatable headrest device with two cushions attached to a sheet member with a mechanism for securing the apparatus to the back of a chair. The device contains a flexible sheet member, a pair of lateral head support cushions, and belts and straps to secure the device to the seat.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,030,034 shows a storage bag and chair cover that can act as a pillow. This device contains VELCRO™ brand connection straps that attach the device to the chair.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,254,189 shows a body support device that allows the user to modify the density of specific parts of the device by redistributing filler material in the device through a continuous hollow chamber. The device contains a hollow housing member that has a hollow neck portion and bulbous housing elements on opposite sides of the hollow neck portion which combine to form a continuous hollow chamber. The hollow chamber is partially filled with filler material that can be redistributed throughout the hollow chamber to vary the firmness and density of the bulbous housing elements.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,484,335 shows a pillow unit containing a pillow, a pocket assembly, and straps connecting the pillow to the back of a seat.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,748,615 shows a neck supporting cushion containing a securing unit that has elongated adjustable straps with cooperating fasteners on opposite ends, a pillow unit that contains a pillow member and a cylindrically shaped fabric envelope filled with foam beads or other particulate material, and a removable cover unit that has a cylindrically shaped fabric cover with end panels dimensioned to slidably receive the elongated strap member and hidden elongated zipper portion.
U.S. Design No. 400,042 shows an ornamental design for a headrest cover.
Thus, while the foregoing body of prior art reveals numerous portable pillows or cushions that can be attached to the backs of chairs, there is a need for a neck or back support device that can be manufactured inexpensively and can be used easily, without the need for various attachment mechanisms.